Penn State commit shuts down recruitment; Lions land in another preseason top 10: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for Aug. 23 include good news on a Nittany Lions commit, plus another preseason poll and more.
It’s time to dive into Wednesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with recruiting. Miami, Fla., Central High four-star Class of 2024 defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham has shut down his recruitment. The top 300 recruit took just one official visit this summer, and it was to see the Nittany Lions, who offered him as a sophomore. He later picked them on July 22. The Sunshine State standout previously thought of taking his decision-making process into the fall and has as many official visits left to use as he desires. But, he will no longer use them after tweeting Tuesday that he is locked in with head coach James Franklin’s program.
“My connection with Coach Franklin and a lot of the recruiting staff stood out with Penn State,” Cunningham told On3 when he committed. “I’ve been talking to those guys since early in my recruitment and they are people I’m comfortable with. I connected with Coach Barnes knowing that he’s a Penn State grad. He was able to explain his perspective as a former player what it means to be a Nittany Lions and what it means to go there.
“Getting everyone’s perspective and finding that perfect fit, it just all made Penn State feel right for me.”
In other news, the Lions have made another media preseason top 10. USA Today released its final re-ranking of all 131 FBS teams ahead of the 2023 season. Penn State checks in at No. 6. It is No. 7 in the top 25s from the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Headlines of the day
Penn State fantasy football outlook: Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Chris Godwin and more: McGonigal, PennLive
Buzzworthy: Penn State corner Johnny Dixon surges in camp: Bauer, BWI
A Rugby Player From South Africa Could Be a Real ‘Freak’ for Penn State: Wogenrich, SI
Penn State vs. West Virginia Preview: WVU run defense relies on numbers, not size: Carr, BWI
As Abdul Carter Finds Another Gear, Penn State Fans Might Just Get the Micah Parsons Year They Always Wanted: Jones, Statecollege.com
PSU talent, challenge in 2023 showcased on Sporting News preseason All-American teams: Pickel, BWI
WVU Football Freshmen Gallagher, Ray, White to Play Against PSU: WV Sports Now
Lions set to host offered 2025 offensive tackle: Fitz, BWI
Quote of the day
“He’s doing a really great job as a leader. Really, he’s working his tail off. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong. He keeps improving as a blocker to be a complete tight end. I’ve been excited with his progress.”
—PSU assistant Ty Howle to BWI on Lions tight end and team captain Theo Johnson.